The AAP factor
If there was an award for the most successful political start up of the last decade, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would be the obvious front-runner (the YSRCP in...
AAP and the end of Hope
On the day the exit polls for the Delhi municipal elections were predicting a BJP landslide, AAP spokespersons were in a defiant mood, blaming the EVMs for a looming...
AAP at the crossroads
Writing obituaries of political parties can be a hazardous business. In July 2014, an international publication invited me to write an article on the political demise of AAP. This...
The Muck Of Indian Politics
History repeats itself, first as tragedy then as farce, but in Indian politics, the farce plays out so frequently that the tragic element is obscured. Four recent instances highlight...
One year of Kejriwal govt
A few years ago, I was sitting next to Manohar Parrikar on a flight. The defence minister was then Goa chief minister and was travelling economy, dressed in trademark...
AAP politics: The khichdi has begun to smell
History repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce, but what happens when the farce is played out time and again? Many years ago, I asked the veteran socialist...
It’s too early to consider Kejriwal as magnet for anti-BJP forces
Call it "tyranny of distance” or simply the nature of the Delhi-centric 24x7 “national” media, but a day after Arvind Kejriwal’s famous win, the BJP swept the local body...
Farewell MV Kamath
In February this year, I met MV Kamath for the last time. Kamath, a veteran journalist, was dean of the Manipal Institute of Communication and had invited me to...
If Kejriwal fails to deliver he may end up victim of his own success
The ubiquitous Rotary Clubs are a decent indicator of the urban upper middle class mood. Rotarians are often professionals with a conscience: from blood donation drives to charity runs,...